第28回UPR（普遍的・定期的レビュー）対日本審査　岡村善文日本政府代表　発言 (平成29年11月14日)

Third UPR Review of Japan
Statement by Government Representative Okamura
(November 14 in Geneva, 15 to 20 minutes)


Monsieur le Président du Conseil des Droits de l’Homme,
Mesdames et Messieurs les Représentants des états membres,
Mesdames et Messieurs,

Permettez-moi, avant toute chose, de faire part de ma profonde gratitude à Monsieur le Président du Conseil des Droits de l’Homme, aux délégués des états membres ainsi qu’au Secrétariat du Haut-Commissariat aux Droits de l’Homme, qui tous travaillent sans relâche afin de protéger et promouvoir les droits de l’homme et les libertés fondamentales.

La délégation du Japon qui participe aujourd’hui à cet examen est composée de responsables de neuf différents ministères et autres organismes ainsi que de membres de la Mission permanente à Genève.

De graves violations des droits de l'homme sont encore observées dans de nombreuses régions du monde aujourd'hui. Dans un tel contexte, nous nous devons d’œuvrer pour un monde dans lequel tous les peuples pourront vivre sans crainte de la violence et de la discrimination, dans la dignité et avec de l’espoir en l’avenir.

Le Japon a toujours accordé de l'importance aux valeurs fondamentales de la démocratie, de la liberté, des droits de l'homme et de l'État de droit et ce depuis la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, soit plus de 70 ans. Il a inlassablement poursuivi ses efforts pour protéger et améliorer la situation des droits de l'homme aussi bien au Japon qu’à l’étranger. Alors que débute ce troisième examen de l'EPU, le Japon voudrait saisir cette occasion pour réaffirmer sa détermination à coopérer avec les Nations Unies, la communauté internationale et la société civile afin de continuer à promouvoir les droits de l’homme et leur protection dans le monde.

Le Japon accorde une grande importance au mécanisme de l'EPU et à sa philosophie basée sur le dialogue et la coopération. A la suite de son deuxième examen en 2012, le Japon a accepté de donner suite à un total de 125 recommandations et a fait des efforts constants depuis lors. Aujourd'hui, en tant que Représentant du Gouvernement japonais, je suis extrêmement honoré de pouvoir participer à ce troisième examen et de rendre compte des progrès accomplis, lors de ces cinq dernières années, en matière de promotion et de protection des droits de l'homme.

(Réalisations au cours des cinq dernières années, telles que la conclusion de convention ou traités etc…..)
Lors du dernier examen, nous avons reçu de nombreuses recommandations concernant la signature de conventions relatives aux droits de l'homme. À l'occasion de cet examen, je suis heureux de pouvoir annoncer la ratification de quatre conventions.
 >> Premièrement, en janvier 2014, nous avons ratifié la Convention relative aux droits des personnes handicapées afin de soutenir les initiatives visant à améliorer le droit des personnes handicapées.
 >> En outre, lors de ce même mois, nous avons ratifié la Convention de La Haye (Convention sur les aspects civils des enlèvements d'enfants au niveau international) afin de lutter contre les enlèvements transfrontaliers illicites d'enfants.
 >> De plus, en juillet 2017, après plus de dix ans de discussions quant à une législation nationale remplissant les obligations de la convention, nous avons signé la Convention de Palerme (Convention contre la criminalité transnationale organisée) et le Protocole relatif à la traite d’êtres humains afin de lutter contre la criminalité internationale organisée, y compris le trafic d’êtres humains.

(Le rôle du Japon dans la communauté internationale)
Au cours du précédent examen, de nombreux pays ont exprimé leurs attentes quant à la contribution du Japon dans la communauté internationale.
Si nous regardons vers l’Asie, non seulement des avancées dans le développement économique mais également des progrès vers la démocratisation ont été observés. Cependant, des problèmes tels que l'oppression des libertés fondamentales de ses propres citoyens et de la démocratie ainsi que la répression à l’égard des défenseurs des droits de l'homme sont toujours d’actualité. Il est alors important d'exhorter ces pays à faire des améliorations. Mais, il est tout aussi important d’examiner, de manière inclusive et globale, quels types d’approche seraient les plus efficaces pour apporter une amélioration durable et réelle.

Dans ce contexte, le Japon, en tant que membre du Conseil des droits de l'homme du groupe Asie, apprécie les principes de «dialogue» et de «coopération» et encourage encore la protection des droits de l'homme par des mesures telles que la présentation de la résolution sur la situation des droits de l'homme au Cambodge, au Conseil des droits de l'homme, par exemple, ou par la mise en œuvre d’un dialogue bilatéral avec le Myanmar et l'Iran. C'est une approche qui nécessite des efforts soutenus sur un long terme, mais nous avons l'intention de persévérer dans nos initiatives. D'autre part, en ce qui concerne les pays et régions qui refusent l'implication de la communauté internationale et la coopération avec cette dernière et qui poursuivent leurs graves violations des droits de l'homme, le Japon les exhorte vivement à changer de position et ce tout en continuant à collaborer étroitement avec eux. Soumettre une résolution sur la situation des droits de l'homme en République populaire démocratique de Corée (RPDC) au Conseil des droits de l'homme et à l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies est une des initiatives japonaises.

En outre, le Japon a fait de son soutien à la promotion de la liberté, de la démocratie, des droits de l'homme fondamentaux et du respect de l'état de droit, une priorité, au même titre que la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable (ODD). Nous continuerons à promouvoir activement la coopération pour le développement vis-à-vis des pays d'Asie, d'Afrique et d’autres régions. De plus, nous souhaitons contribuer de manière encore plus active à la promotion et la protection des droits de personnes telles que les femmes, les enfants et les personnes handicapées. Enfin, la résolution sur l'élimination de la discrimination à l'égard des personnes touchées par la lèpre et de leurs proches, présentée par le Japon au Conseil des droits de l'homme en juin dernier, a d’ailleurs été adoptée par consensus.


Mr. President,

(Domestic and overseas initiatives toward “Realization of a society where all women can shine”)
● Next, I would like to deliver a report on the progress of the protection and promotion of human rights over the past five years in Japan taking into account the recommendations of the previous review.

● Protection and reinforcement of the basic rights of women as well as elimination of violence against women and girls are issues the international community should address in a unified manner. In Japan, realization of “A society in which all women shine,” in other words a society in which all women can display their personalities and abilities as they wish, has been stated as one of the most important issues of the Abe administration. Indeed, we have promoted a variety of initiatives both inside and outside Japan.

● As a part of such initiatives, we have actively worked on initiatives since the last review, such as formulation of the Fourth Basic Plan for Gender Equality, formulation of the Intensive Policy to Accelerate the Empowerment of Women, enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, and, based on the Act, addition of evaluation points in public procurements for companies that promote work-life balance. The number of women in workplace has increased by approximately 1,500,000, and the number of female board members in listed companies has more than doubled.

● Japan is willing to continue to bolster initiatives for active recruitment and promotion of women, steady development of female human resources, reform of labor practices predicated on men-oriented working styles, and the eradication of violence against women.

● This month, the Government of Japan held the fourth World Assembly for Women (WAW!) in Tokyo. Japan has been leading discussions in the international community for empowerment of women and gender equality. We will continue to be a strong promoter of support for developing countries for achieving “A society in which all women shine.”

(Toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics)
● Japan will host the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, 56 years after the last Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Japan hopes for the 2020 Games to be an opportunity to foster an inclusive society based on diversity and harmony in which all kinds of differences are recognized, including race, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities. Japan is working for the protection and promotion of the human rights of all people, starting with persons with disabilities and children, and is aiming for the realization of a “society with the Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens” in which everyone can pursue their own dreams, everyone develops their own ability, and everyone has a place where they belong.

(Persons with disabilities)
● In particular, in the area of persons with disabilities, after the conclusion of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Japan has implemented a variety of measures. For example, in April 2016, the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was enforced, and prohibitions on unfair discriminatory treatment of persons with disabilities and provision of reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities are now widely carried out. Japan intends to continue enhancing measures for persons with disabilities in order to realize an inclusive society.

(Children, sexual violence, and trafficking in persons)
● Moreover, Japan has implemented a range of measures in order to eradicate sexual exploitation of children and vigorously tackled sexual offenses and human trafficking.
 >> Regarding measures against sexual exploitation of children, in addition to the measures to eliminate child pornography to date, we formulated the Basic Plan on Measures against Child Sexual Exploitation in April 2017. This is a basic plan at the national level with a broader scope than the previous plan, expanding from child pornography to all aspects of sexual exploitation of children including child prostitution. We will implement measures to raise awareness of citizens, protect and support victimized children, and strengthen law enforcement based on this plan.
 >> Furthermore, in order to deal with sexual offenses more strictly, we revised the Penal Code in June 2017. We strengthened the penal provisions and allowed prosecutors to make indictments of sexual offences without any complaint by victims so as to lessen their burden.
 >> The government is also committed to work holistically in the fight against trafficking in persons together. As part of this effort, we revised the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons in 2014. Furthermore, we amended the Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes and Control of Crime Proceeds in June 2017, and we concluded the Trafficking in Persons Protocol in July of the same year. We will continue to take necessary steps for the protection of human trafficking victims, including women and children, and make effort to strictly tackle human trafficking.

(Foreign nationals (hate speech))
● Japan is working on the protection and promotion of the human rights of all people, including foreign nationals. In particular, unfair discriminatory speech and behavior that unilaterally exclude people of specific ethnicities or nationalities should not be tolerated. Regarding so-called hate speech, in June 2016, the Government of Japan enforced the Hate Speech Elimination Act. We intend to continue educational activities, development of consultation systems, and efforts to improve the convenience of human rights consultations in foreign languages.

(Criminal justice system/Substitute detention system)
● I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the criminal justice system of Japan.

● Firstly, let us explain about the amendment of the Code of Criminal Procedure last year. All cases pertaining to detained suspects are covered by the court-appointed defense counsel system. In addition, even before the amendment, public prosecutors have made active use of audiovisual recordings when conducting an interrogation of an arrested or detained suspect. However, under the amended Act, it is clearly stipulated that it is mandatory for the police and public prosecutors to make audiovisual recordings of the entire process of interrogation of arrested or detained suspects in cases specified by the Code which include all the cases subject to lay judge trials.

● Regarding the substitute detention system, as I have already stated, the court-appointed defense counsel system is extended to all cases related to detained suspects, and suspects can consult their counsels without the presence of officials. Furthermore, as explained before, making an audiovisual recording of the interrogation becomes a legal requirement. Moreover, the time, duration and manner of interrogations by the police are controlled by a national regulation. This regulation also requires that the interrogation must be supervised by police officials not engaged in the criminal investigation, and these officials shall take necessary measures such as calling for the suspension of the interrogation when it is considered inappropriate. In addition, the basic principle in Japanese criminal investigations is that they should be conducted in a non-compulsory manner. Indeed, it is the judges who decide whether arrested persons should be detained or not and where they should be detained. In the case that there is no longer a reason or need for the detention, judges may terminate the detention. Further, members of Detention Facilities Inspection Committee that include lawyers inspect conditions of detention facilities and interview detainees, and the Prefectural Public Safety Commissions consisted of members appointed by governors directly receive complaints and appeals from detainees and review them objectively and impartially. To summarize what I have mentioned, we are making a wide range of efforts to protect the human rights of suspects.

(Japan-Republic of Korea Agreement)
● Next, I would like to touch upon the recent progress regarding the comfort women issue.

● The comfort women issue was a long-standing matter of concern between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Against such backdrop, the Foreign Ministers of two countries had a bilateral meeting on December 28, 2015 and confirmed that the issue is “resolved finally and irreversibly” between the two countries. In accordance with this agreement, the Government of the ROK established a foundation for providing support for the former comfort women, and the Government of Japan contributed one billion yen to the foundation. Under the cooperation between Japan and the ROK, projects have been carried out for recovering the honor and dignity and healing the psychological wounds of former comfort women. So far, among the 47 former comfort women who were alive at the time of the agreement, 36 have already agreed to the projects, of which 34 have actually received such assistance as medical care and welfare support.

● We will engrave in our hearts the past, when the dignity and honor of many women were severely injured during wars in the 20th century. Japan will lead the world in making the 21st century an era in which women’s human rights are not infringed upon.

(Conclusion)
● There has been a lot of progress in areas other than those I have presented so far, but due to time constraints unfortunately I cannot tell you about all of it. I would appreciate it if you would refer to the reports submitted by the Government of Japan for the details.

● Every country has room for improvement of its human rights situation, and the UPR mechanism is an important mechanism for contributing to that improvement. Japan intends to continue working for the betterment of its domestic human rights situation as well as to contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights in the international community, including the achievement of the SDGs, in close cooperation with the UN, governments of other countries, civil society, and others.

● I wish to thank all the states (Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, US, UK, Uruguay) that have submitted advance questions for this review. We will try to respond to all of them after listening comments and recommendations from member states. We look forward to hearing valuable opinions from each country and to having future-oriented and constructive exchanges of views.